Tribute to New York soft rock legends

Nearly Dan. (s)

Published:12:00Saturday 10 September 2016

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You might know Steely Dan for such Seventies classics as Do It Again or Rikki Don’t Lose That Number but to people who like their rock music slick and sophisticated, they are the ultimate jazz fusion band.

On Saturday, (September 17th) you can relive those hits when doppelgangers Nearly Dan pay tribute to the New York soft rock legends when they make their first visit to the Grand, Clitheroe.

Nearly Dan got together in the 1990s and have seen their popularity grow as fans come to appreciate how authentic their sound is, bringing the songs of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker to a new audience.

“It’s interesting when we play somewhere new for the first time,” said Gary Davies from Nearly Dan.

“For the first couple of songs you can feel the audience almost challenging you, waiting to see if you are any good.

“Fans of Steely Dan are very devoted and we know we have to do the music justice but thankfully we don’t seem to have any problems winning audiences over and even after being together all this time our support continues to grow.”

In the space of eight years (1972-1980) Steely Dan released seven albums including Aja and Royal Scream.

Having started out as a six-piece band, they eventually became a duo who hired session musicians to suit the song they happened to be recording.

“If you’re a musician and you want to get better, there’s no better music to do it with than Steely Dan music,” added Gary.

“There is such an interesting mix of styles from jazz, funk, soul and blues.

“It is still a joy to play.

“I never get tired of it, there is just so much depth to it.

“It is the music that inspired me to become a musician.

“When I first heard Steely Dan back in the Seventies I just thought ‘I’ve got to play this’ and I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that for people to enjoy.

“Steely Dan are complete one-offs with a balance where jazz chords work with funk and soul rhythms.